JD 675B Skidsteer

[Work Horse]

Hey Guys,

This is a bit off topic as far as "orange tractors" go, but I'm hoping you guys will have some insight for me nonetheless.

I have a chance to buy a late 80's-90's John Deere 675B Skidsteer for less than $2k, with 3200 hours. It's a bit rough around the edges, but does this seem like a good deal? According to the owners the only issue it has is that the hydraulic fluid has been bubbling and it is believed the fluid was contaminated with water. They think if I can flush the system and refill the hydraulics fluid it should work as intended.

What's the life expectancy of a skid steer, and does anyone have any previous negative/positive experience with this particular model? Any other opinions are welcome.

Thank you,

 

[will721]

Skid steers last forever, and 2k for a running unit is always a good price. You can put alot of time and money into a machine and still be in the "green" so to speak. On a machine of that age of course you'll want to look at things like joints to see if they are worn as filling and boring can be expensive. The wiring is almost guaranteed to be a headache so check around to see if they atleast used water tight connections in their repairs.

However the "bubbling" hydraulics could be a concern. Water can cause it sure, but that is best case scenario. It could also be air which could be serious. A leaking suction line could cause it but worn component's can too. Specifically pumps and drives. So it would be in your best interest to see what you can find for parts availability. Make sure the drives are available somewhere. If it is also lazy on one side when moving thats a dead giveaway for drives. Slow or weak overall hydraulics point to the pump.

Had a guy nearly want to fight me awhile back over a new holland when my counter offer was exactly the cost of a replacement drive less than he was asking.

 

[Work Horse]

Skid steers last forever, and 2k for a running unit is always a good price. You can put alot of time and money into a machine and still be in the "green" so to speak. On a machine of that age of course you'll want to look at things like joints to see if they are worn as filling and boring can be expensive. The wiring is almost guaranteed to be a headache so check around to see if they atleast used water tight connections in their repairs.

However the "bubbling" hydraulics could be a concern. Water can cause it sure, but that is best case scenario. It could also be air which could be serious. A leaking suction line could cause it but worn component's can too. Specifically pumps and drives. So it would be in your best interest to see what you can find for parts availability. Make sure the drives are available somewhere. If it is also lazy on one side when moving thats a dead giveaway for drives. Slow or weak overall hydraulics point to the pump.

Had a guy nearly want to fight me awhile back over a new holland when my counter offer was exactly the cost of a replacement drive less than he was asking.

I appreciate the pointers - I have yet to see the machine in action, but it helps to know what to look for.

The owner told my wife the "bubbling" started after she added hydraulic fluid to the machine, and that she suspected the drum of fluid was contaminated. I question why she was needing to add fluid in the first place, I would assume there might be a steady leak.

I'll start looking into parts availability, and hopefully I'll have a better idea of what to look for when I see the machine in action.

 

[mikester]

It will keep running until either you break it or stop sinking money into repairs. Pump repairs cost more than the machine is worth. If you can use the machine as is great, I'd buy it for no more than scrap metal value.

 

[Work Horse]

It will keep running until either you break it or stop sinking money into repairs. Pump repairs cost more than the machine is worth. If you can use the machine as is great, I'd buy it for no more than scrap metal value.

You're not kidding! Just for kicks I searched for drive pumps and found they ARE available... for the price of nearly $2k! I'll have to see it run and operate it to see how it really feels and take it from there... The bubbling hydraulics are definitely the biggest concern, if possible I'll see if I can drain some of the fluid for an oil sample